Gaming spawns Friendships. It builds Friendships. It keeps Friendships going.
Practically all of the Friendships I currently have I have through gaming.
Even with those people whom I met or knew before I gamed with them, gaming factored in in some way.
Some of those Friendships are with 'Gaming Friends'; friends I only see or have contact with at games. We don't necessarily hang out outside of our gaming group or get together except around a gaming table. At the same token, I see some of them rather often since we have regular, weekly games. That's more often than I see other friends I once had a stronger Friendship with but who I see less often due to time, distance, and responsibilities.
Some of the Friendships were forged in grade school and while we don't game together any longer (as a matter of fact, they don't game at all any more), we share fond memories of all those great games of the past.
I have Friendships from high school that have managed to overcome distance and time and every once in a while we get together for game for old times sake and because we love to game with each other.
My current groups are a mix of very old friends, friends from the last 5-10 years, and a new one now and then. It is a common phenomenon that as we get older we make fewer new friends. Judging only from myself I would say gamers skew this a bit. We are always discovering new friends and new Friendships through gaming.
Friend: "Hey Adam, this is my friend and his friend. I just met his friend, but my friend and I go way back. She's a gamer!"
Friend's Friend: "My friend is a gamer too!"
Friend's Friend's Friend: "I love gaming. My favorite game is one you really like!"
Me: "Wow! I just met two new gamers whom I didn't know this morning. We both really like at least one game in common! Let's be friends!"
I didn't meet my ex-wife through gaming (that was the result of Anime!) but I taught her to play and now she loves it. I believe she still owns more dice than I do (or possibly ever did).
I met my girlfriend through gaming when a mutual friend suggested she try it. The first time we met was the first RPG she ever played. She is no where near as serious about it as I am but she appreciates how important it is to me. That's beyond Friendship. That's Love.
Make some Friendships. Spread the Love.
AD
Barking Alien
Wow, you've been really consistent with this challenge!
ReplyDeleteIt's true that I've made a lot of friends through gaming. I suspect that it's the amount of shared time together and the variety of shared experiences (different games, campaigns, and challenges) that have helped bond everyone together.
Agreed.
DeleteI've also been fortunate in that my love of IP games has helped me bring friends to a gaming table who might now otherwise play. Assembling a group of players to play Star Trek is one thing but tell a Star Trek fan there's a game where they be create and be their own Starfleet Officer and all of a sudden you have a good chance of hooking a new gamer. lol